eBLAST: Glory

“For those who have no voice, we ask you to speak. For those who feel unworthy, we ask you to pour your love out in waterfalls of tenderness. For those who live in pain, we ask you to bathe them in the river of your healing. ”~Maya Angelou

Never mind the final outcome of the Academy Awards, many people believe that Ava DuVernay’s film Selma was the best picture of 2014. It is still in theatres and if you’ve not seen it, I highly recommend you make plans while it is still on the big screen.

One of the many poignant elements of the film is the song “Glory” which received the Oscar for Best Original Song. (CLICK HERE TO PLAY GLORY) In “Glory,” John Legend and Common create a masterpiece that describes the story of the Selma March as a giving of self for a higher cause, a higher purpose, a higher glory.

The song echoes the glory of the invitation of Jesus in this Sunday’s Gospel for the Second Sunday in Lent from Mark 8:34-35: “All who want to come after me must say no to themselves, take up their cross, and follow me. All who want to save their lives will lose them. But to all who lose their lives because of me and because of the good news will save them.”

Fifty years ago in Selma thousands embodied the heart of Jesus’ call. They faced brutality, arrest and even death in their work for equality. Their sacrifice was for a greater glory. As the song says:

“Selma’s now for every man, woman and child
Even Jesus got his crown in front of a crowd
They marched with the torch, we gon’ run with it now
Never look back, we done gone hundreds of miles. . .
One day, when the glory comes
it will be ours, it will be ours. . .”

Lent is a time to go deeper into the power and paradox of glory, not through strength and domination but through opening ourselves to higher callings. In my messagethis Sunday, we’ll look further at how Jesus redefined glory and how we can open ourselves to share in that glory for the greater good. See you Sunday.